Environmental Peacebuilding as a Climate-Security Priority for the EU – Examples from the Sahel
Publisher: ECDPM
Author(s): Sara Gianesello and Sophie Desmidt
Date: 2025
Topics: Climate Change, Conflict Causes, Governance
Countries: European Union, Mali, Niger, Sudan
The Central Sahel faces interlinked crises of conflict, climate change and fragility, but responses have been fragmented. Environmental peacebuilding offers opportunities to promote cooperation between conflicting groups through climate-sensitive and mutually beneficial projects around natural resources.
In this brief, we explore what the EU’s agenda means for environmental peacebuilding by sharing practical experiences from the Sahel and offering recommendations for the EU to promote climate-sensitive peacebuilding. Analysis shows that investing in environmental peacebuilding is crucial to safeguarding Europe’s security, development and economic interests.
We find that discussions at the EU policy level largely focus on the climate-security nexus, with environmental peacebuilding often implicitly understood but not explicitly named. Recent policy developments, particularly the EU’s 2023 Joint Communication on the Climate-Security Nexus, prioritise security and defence, reducing attention and funding for peace-focused activities outside the EU’s borders. This raises concerns among civil society about shrinking support for climate-sensitive peacebuilding actions.
While there is space for continued dialogue with EU policymakers and member state representatives, new entry points are urgently needed. For example, the Global Gateway’s 360-degree approach and the green transition could open up venues for policy dialogue. The EU should remain sensitive to peacebuilding, promote cross-institutional coordination, and draw on peacebuilding expertise. It should also integrate climate action, fragility and peacebuilding into negotiations on the multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2028-2034.